Monday, November 16, 2015

Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig


Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig.  Please leave a comment or question for Caroline to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may also follow all of the stops on her tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning. My review shall post ASAP. 

Researching for Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig

One of my favorite parts of writing is when I’m formulating a new novel, when a world of possibilities is waiting to come together into a great story.  Part of that process includes researching.  I research the setting, the character’s jobs and hobbies, and any other things that might be helpful to know to make the story as real as possible.

What was the first thing I did when I decided on the setting and framework of Death Before Decaf?  Drag my husband to Nashville on a mini-vacation, of course!  We hit every coffeehouse in Midtown, the trendy area just south of downtown that’s nestled between the campuses of Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities.  That’s a lot of coffee in one weekend.  We went to an open mic night at one of the coffeehouses, where we watched around a dozen musicians perform.

When I travelled back to Nashville a few months later, I was determined to get up on that stage.  This time I dragged a friend along with me, and I think my little pre-performance freak-out got on her nerves a bit.  There was no reason for me to be nervous, because I was only performing in front of a handful of people, far fewer than I perform in front of every Sunday morning at church, but it still got to me.  I performed “She’s a Mess,” the song I’d written for Death Before Decaf.  I did pretty well.  At least there was clapping instead of booing!

Caroline Performing "She's a Mess" 


Every time my kids go to Nashville, they insist on visiting the Parthenon and Centennial Park.  (I think they want to go there only to re-create the Parthenon fight scene from Percy Jackson.)  I don’t mind going back time and time again, though.  I love the place so much; I have a painting of it in my office.  A major scene from Mug Shot, the second book in the Java Jive series, takes place at Centennial Park.

Caroline and Her Husband at the Parthenon


Even though I’m a Starbucks regular, I still wanted to be able to write intelligently about making espresso drinks, so I bought myself a real espresso maker (not like the Mr. Coffee fake espresso maker I had in college) and learned how to pour latte art.  So far, I’ve only mastered making hearts, but now I can successfully make one every time rather than only hit or miss.  I’m already on my second espresso maker, if that shows how much I use the thing.

 
Caroline's Beverage of Choice

And last but not least, I had a ton of research I’d already done on running a café.  Three years ago, I was all set to open my own place.  I had my menu ready, my food pricing roughly set, and my remodeling plans completed for the space I’d chosen.  I’d even put a down payment on a commercial property.  Evidently the universe had other plans, because everything fell through.  I was pretty bummed about it until the opportunity came to do something with the novel I’d been fiddling around with.  I decided to become a full-time writer and never looked back.  Now I realize it’s a lot easier to write about running a restaurant than it is to actually run one in real life! 

Death Before Decaf
By Caroline Fardig
A Java Jive Mystery, Book 1

Publisher:  Alibi (An Imprint of Random House, LLC)
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Female Sleuth
Format:  eBook
Length:  289 (2866KB)
ISBN:  9780804181303
ASIN:  B00VOYNDKK

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes | Random House



Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Diane Mott Davidson, Caroline Fardig’s captivating new mystery novel takes readers behind the counter of a seemingly run-of-the-mill coffeehouse . . . where murder is brewing.

After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiancé robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what’s left of her beloved café down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend’s coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing’s changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in the dumpster out back before her first day is even over.


The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who’d locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who’s asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can’t simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she’s going to get burned.


About This Author

Caroline Fardig is the author of Death Before Decaf and the Lizzie Hart series. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat. 


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2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great mystery book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for hosting me today! I have my coffeehouse performances posted on YouTube now, if anyone would want to listen! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaBxQXmhgMcsLS4C1vMZYUg

    ReplyDelete